Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By Benjamin Franklin

Page 79

but become a common benefit, each of us being at libertyto borrow such as he wish'd to read at home. This was accordinglydone, and for some time contented us.

Finding the advantage of this little collection, I propos'd to renderthe benefit from books more common, by commencing a publicsubscription library. I drew a sketch of the plan and rules that wouldbe necessary, and got a skilful conveyancer, Mr. Charles Brockden, toput the whole in form of articles of agreement to be subscribed, bywhich each subscriber engag'd to pay a certain sum down for the firstpurchase of books, and an annual contribution for increasing them. Sofew were the readers at that time in Philadelphia, and the majority ofus so poor, that I was not able, with great industry, to find morethan fifty persons, mostly young tradesmen, willing to pay down forthis purpose forty shillings each, and ten shillings per annum. Onthis little fund we began. The books were imported; the library wasopened one day in the week for lending to the subscribers, on theirpromissory notes to pay double the value if not duly returned. Theinstitution soon manifested its utility, was imitated by other towns,and in other provinces. The libraries were augmented by donations;reading became fashionable; and our people, having no publickamusements to divert their attention from study, became betteracquainted with books, and in a few years were observ'd by strangersto be better instructed and more intelligent than people of the samerank generally are in other countries.

When we were about to sign the above mentioned articles, which wereto be binding on us, our heirs, etc., for fifty years, Mr. Brockden,the scrivener, said to us, "You are young men, but it is scarcelyprobable that any of you will live to see the expiration of the termfix'd in the instrument." A number of us, however, are yet living; butthe instrument was after a few years rendered null by a charter thatincorporated and gave perpetuity to the company.

The objections and reluctances I met with in soliciting thesubscriptions, made me soon feel the impropriety of presenting one'sself as the proposer of any useful project, that might be suppos'd toraise one's reputation in the smallest degree above that of one'sneighbours, when one has need of their assistance to accomplish thatproject. I therefore put myself as much as I could out of sight, andstated it as a scheme of a _number of friends_, who had requested meto go about

'This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wisdom; but, after all,
do not depend too much upon your own industry, and frugality, and
prudence, though excellent things; for they may all be blasted without
the blessing of Heaven; and therefore, ask that blessing humbly, and be
not uncharitable to those that at present seem to want it, but comfort
and help them.